On March 18, 2022, at 12:18 a.m., the Moon will reach its full phase in the sign of Virgo.
With the Sun, Neptune, Jupiter and Mercury all in the oceanic sign of Pisces right now, the Moon currently in Pisces’ opposite sign of Virgo is an invitation to plant one’s feet firmly on the earth and to feel the safety of being grounded.
The Moon in the sign of Virgo is a conundrum. Lunar energy is watery, open, and porous, while Virgo holds back and watches to see if everything is right. Each sign is a corrective to the one before it and a kind of launching pad for the one that follows. In zodiacal order, Virgo is sandwiched between the sunburst of Leonine, highly individualized self-expression and Libra, the balanced scales, partnerships and diplomacy.
Virgo is a “feminine” or yin sign, a Quiet One, humble and unassuming, though Virgo’s subtle power is not to be underestimated. With the Moon at its full phase in Virgo, there is maximum light shone on the Pisces/Virgo axis. Pisces is about dreams, while Virgo is about getting practical, day-to-day tasks done. Think about how much good can come from a balance between these two.
A sensitive desire to reach out toward others and help them is Piscean. Virgo says: hey, wait a minute, let’s be careful before jumping in. A Virgoan quest has to do with developing skills leading to the perfection of a craft, to be of service or just for the sake of doing something right. It is the pursuit of perfection more than ever really getting there that is the draw. At this Full Moon, you might notice the areas of life where you are striving for perfection.
Virgo’s ruling planet Mercury gives some clues as to where the quest for perfection might land. Mercury rules everything to do with communication, including writing and learning. It’s also the traditional ruler of astrology. Mercury is what is betwixt and between, like the hours of dawn and twilight, the times when the planet Mercury is visible. Mercury also rules trade and commerce, networking and making deals. Mercury also rules the sign of Gemini, and in this role it is the trickster, telling a funny story, putting unlikely facts together. Mercury in its Virgoan mode relates to making craft objects with our hands and eyes. Spending so much time on screens, we may sometimes forget the human need to use physical tools to make stuff.
All of these possibilities are boosted at this time, as both the Sun and the Moon will be making harmonious aspects to empowering dwarf planet Pluto. The Sun will be in a sextile with Pluto and the Moon in a trine. Pluto in its long sojourn through Capricorn (2008 to 2024) has to do with earthly power dynamics and systems falling apart. But on the bright side, Pluto in earth sign Capricorn is also about achievement. At the March 18 lunation, the Moon trine to Pluto and Sun sextile to Pluto is an encouragement if we’re wanting to bring something crafty to a point of culmination. Pluto is a power source, an engine humming beneath the surface. In Capricorn, this Plutonian power wants to manifest something. What is it that you want to make real, now?
Later in the day on March 18, the Moon will enter the sign of Libra. Whereas Virgo is comfortable with solitude—the traditional meaning of the word “virgin” is a sovereign and self-sufficient woman—the Libran imperative is to connect with like-minded others. We need working relationships to accomplish our goals. Themes of partnership may have been on our minds all winter, as Venus and Mars, the two relational planets, have been traveling together in an unusually long conjunction, since February in Capricorn, and now with Venus moving ahead of Mars, in Aquarius.
By March 20, we will arrive at the March equinox, when the Sun enters Aries. This 0 degrees of Aries point is the beginning of the New Year in western tropical astrology, as it is in many cultures. It is spring in the northern hemisphere, Ostara in pagan worlds. By March 20, the Moon will have ingressed into the emotional waters of Scorpio, making this March equinox a time to feel into one’s truest, even if not that obvious, desires.
These are difficult times, to say the least, for Gaia and all her sentient beings. At this Full Moon, may we dream our Piscean wishes for peace into Virgoan acts of service.
Blessings for the Virgo Full Moon!
~ Sara
Sara R. Diamond, an astrologer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a life-long student and practitioner in several esoteric paths. Her style of astrology combines modern-psychological astrology with insights from traditional astrology. Sara is also an estate planning attorney. In addition, she has published four books on right-wing movements in the United States and earned her Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. You are invited to contact Sara via her website at www.SaraDiamondAstrology.com.
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